Sky Ferreira's ode to molly, A$AP Ferg sipping Jesus juice – plus the first emoji video?
Sky Ferreira and Ariel Pink – "My Molly"
Our girl Sky reworked one of lo fi virtuoso Ariel Pink's early tunes with him as a pre-Christmas treat. This version of “My Molly” was reportedly produced by Justin Raisen whose writing and production talents made a huge mark on her fantastic debut LP, Night Time, My Time. Directed by the ever-brilliant Grant Singer, the video shows a brunette Ferreira coming over all coquettish grunge-queen whilst Pink nonchalantly chugs away in the background. An intoxicating quick fix of scuzz I can’t stop hitting refresh on.
Oneohtrix Point Never – "Boring Angel"
The humble emoji stars in this stark, elegant visual by director John Michael Boling, which arouses a disconcerting amount of empathy. Perhaps a portent for the bleakest possible future for human communication? This is the third exceptional video to accompany Oneohtrix Point Never’s R Plus 7, one of our albums of 2013. Revisit our interview with Daniel Lopatin (aka 0PN) here.
Cashmere Cat – “With Me”
The rising Norwegian DJ and producer's ever-so-sweet paean to pure love by is accompanied by an intimate gaze at two models kissing whilst the monochromatic shot bleeds black for white and back again. “With Me” is all triumphant synth chords, racing pulse percussion patterns and warped autotune harmonies, defying you to shut off cynicism for four minutes and root for true romance. (Yep, me neither.) Fittingly Cashmere Cat’s Wedding Bells EP is released on Lucky Me just before Valentines’ Day.
A$AP Ferg – “Hood Pope”
The video to Ferg's new single from Trap Lord was directed by Shomi Patwary, part of the team behind Beyoncé's Houston-set, street-life documenting "No Angel", and here he shines a similar lush spotlight on the denizens of Harlem. Ferg is the minister, reigning down with Jesus juice and Ferg x Bape limited edition T shirts, yet the mini vignettes highlight the plight of the inhabitants of Ferg’s home turf without a single patronising frame.
Metronomy – "I’m Aquarius"
Director Edouard Salier transports Metronomy’s heartbroken lead singer to a planet ruled by giant Sphynx cats and a mystical deity to help him get over it in this homage to 70s scifi. Keeping true to his influences, Salier eschewed CGI and digital compositing techniques, instead choosing to work with mini models and handpainted scenery to create this charming piece (check out the 'making of' here). “I’m Aquarius” is the first single from the Totnes group’s eagerly anticipated fourth LP “Love Letters” due in March on Because.
Kendrick Lamar and Eddie Peake – “Sing About Me” (Part 1)
Kendrick Lamar enlists rising White Cube artist Eddie Peake and director Darren Romanelli to bring the exquisite twelve minute cut “Sing About Me, Dying of Thirst” from good kid, m.A.A.d City to life across two videos. This first installment depicts a contemplative Lamar’s journey through Compton towards Peake, as the artist creates a work that breathes a wealth of colour into the heartfelt visual. Peake recently collaborated with Nick Hamilton and Actress on the latter’s St John Session – revisit our roundtable interview with the trio here.
Disclosure – "Voices" (feat. Sasha Keable)
An imprisoned Voodoo queen astrally-projects herself far beyond her cell to command a physical exploration of the dark arts in this visual for the latest Disclosure single “Voices”. As well as the rhythmic choreography and levitating cars, the other stand out element is the odd styling of the dancers – something like the creepy kid from The Orphanage meets Orange Is The New Black goes Easter Egg hunting. The slick vocals come from Sasha Keable, one of our essential acts for the coming year.
Katy B – "Crying For No Reason"
This video leaves you under no illusion that Rinse crew princess and well-beloved club doyenne Katy B is a proper, massive pop star now. The “Crying For No Reason” visual is mostly just Miss B singing her heart out to camera looking a touch pained and supremely glossy, but it deftly matches the adroitly-structured disco balla, with strobes and lasers aplenty
Beyoncé – "Mine" (feat. Drake)
There was an iron-clad case for filling this list entirely with cuts from Queen Bey’s "visual album", but the swirling clip for "Mine" is the ideal one to start with (or to revisit). The visual feast for this rumbling slowjam was crafted by frequent Dazed contributor Pierre Debuscherre – revisit our roundup of BEYONCÉ collaborators here for more on him.
Saol Álainn – “Nostroke”
The cascading, bassy “Nostroke” is an ode to regaining control of a scattered existence. It's the first single from Saol Álainn (aka Isom Innis) the intriguing No Recordings label, home to Empress Off and Sivu, and in the video the synth-maestro is near-buried by distorted projections then shaved into speeding cuts of scenes from his reminiscings. "Saol Álainn" is Gaellic for "a beautiful life", which on this video teeters on a knife-edge, but is never out of sight.